She said they’re a good source of data such as ACT scores, faculty-student ratios, and alumni giving, and help her see how Hamline compares in those areas.

But, I asked, what about all the vitriol I’ve been hearing over the past several years? Why don’t you share it?

She told me:

“To say they have that much influence is an overstatement. .. I would not say they’re corrosive, or that they’re so important that they’re a game-changer. … I talk to students and families all the time. They do their research, make college visits. The college visit to the campus is bar none, the most important [for Hamline]. The second most important factor is how we make it affordable. Those two factors have far more influence on a student’s decision.”

(It may help that Hamline ranks #10 among Midwest regional universities in being a “best value” institution.)

About the blogger

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.